December 03, 2009

Getting that outdoor kitchen together

I I think I may have mentioned it before around here, that we're in the process of getting this pair of houses together down here in the warmth where we are. And I think I might also have mentioned that we've pretty much got the houses together and are now working on things like furnishings and the garden. Which leads me on to the subject of outdoor kitchens. For where we are we are indeed very much in the warmth and thus have the luxury of being able to cook and eat outside for the majority of the year.

But if we're to furnish an outdoor kitchen we do have to decide just what it is that we're going to use to furnish it. And before we even decide that we need to think about what level of technology we want to use. Now, given where we are, in this warmth, we don't in fact have central heating. For the couple of months of the year that we do want to have some form of heating we've got log burners. Very nice and efficient cast iron ones, thank you. But what that means is that we've also of course got a supply of wood to burn in them: so perhaps we should be equiping our outside catering facilities with compatible technology?

Or perhaps we shouldn't be? Perhaps we should in fact be going in the opposite direction and using high tech gear for our kitchen? Something like one or other of these stainless steel grills perhaps? Certainly, it's easier to cook on gas than it is over wood: but then again you don't get quite the same smokey flavor that way. Or should I be thinking that if we've already got two wood stoves (one of which is indeed a top loader and thus possible to grill on) then the last thing we need is another one? And that this argues in favor of the gas technology?

Hmm, not the easiest of questions to answer really. Perhaps I should just let my wife make the decision: it's not as if I'm going to be doing any of the cooking anyway now, is it?

June 14, 2009

Heart Attack Grill

I'd heard of the Heart Attack Grill before it turned up on hte TV this morning. I think they very idea of the Heart Attack Grill is wonderful. To cook the most calorific food possible and let people decide to eat it or not as they wish.

Good grief, I mean, at the Heart Attack Grill they even cook the fries in pork lard. Which actually is going a little over the top as the best results are achieved with beef tallow, but that's their choice.

CBS recently covered a story on a restaurant called, "Heart Attack
Grill" in Tempe, Arizona. They offer the “Quadruple Bypass Hamburger,"
which boasts a whopping 8,000 calories. You won’t get a T-shirt for
finishing it, but they will offer you a ride to your car in a
wheelchair if you’re just too full and bloated to walk.

Keep in
mind that the average number of calories that an active, healthy man
should get on a daily basis is 2,500; for a woman it’s no more than
2,000. For the whole day

Sounds great, doesn't it? Of course, that article is very snooty: how could you eat like this? Well, the answer is that no one at all is suggesting that you should eat like this every day and an occasional blowout doesn't do anyone any harm.

May 08, 2009

Realchocolate.com

Realchocolate.com is the place to go to this morning if you're looking for free candy. The manufacturer Mars (umm, yes, they also make dog food, but it's the chocolate coupons they're giving away) are giving away coupons for free products:

Mars (yes, the candy makers)
feels that Americans are looking for reasons to smile. Undoubtedly
true, in this recession, they are looking to stimulate your taste buds
with what they are calling the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act
(http://www.realchocolate.com). This promotion runs from now until
September.

How
does it work? Well, not only can you snag some Mars chocolate in the
deal, Mars has invented a new acronym: TGIFCF (Thank God It's Free
Chocolate Friday). Every Friday, Mars will give away a 250,000 full-size packages of real chocolate on Free Chocolate Fridays.
You can claim one of 250,000 full-value coupons each Friday beginning
on May 8 at 9 AM EST (they say standard, but it's DST now, so that's an
unclear point) by visiting RealChocolate.com.

Sounds good to me although I have to admit. I wonder how easy it's going to be to get onto the site to get the coupons? For it is definitely first come first served.

Starting now till the end of September, Mars has announced its Real
Chocolate Relief Act campaign. Nationwide, Mars will be giving away
full-sized packages of its M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, MILKY WAY®, TWIX®,
DOVE®, and 3 MUSKETEERS® brand chocolate.

Just log onto their website (www.RealChocolate.com)
each Friday starting at 9:00 a.m. EST (6:00 a.m. PST) to claim one of
250,000 full-value coupons. The sooner you log on the better, as it is
first-come, first served. There are a limited number of coupons
(250,000) given away each Friday. Coupons will be mailed to consumers
and are redeemable for any full-size Mars real chocolate product. The
coupons will be limited to one per person, per week.

April 29, 2009

Swine flu not kosher

This has to be one of the more absurd things that a politician has done this year. OK, I know, it's still early, there's another 8 months for better entires, but really:

"We will call it Mexico flu. We won't call it swine flu,"
Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman, a black-garbed Orthodox Jew, told
a news conference Monday, assuring the Israeli public that authorities
were prepared to handle any cases.

Under Jewish dietary laws, pigs are considered unclean and pork is
forbidden food -- although the non-kosher meat is available in some
stores in Israel.

Good grief, it's not called swine flu in order to piss off people who think pigs are unclean (whether Jew or Muslim) but because it is a mixture of two flu strains. One that affects humans and one that affects pigs.

Although I will admit to a certain sneaking admiration for The Daily Mash's coinage. Why not just all get over it and start calling it pork flu.

A Heroic Turn for Top Chef's Tom ColicchioE! Online While most celebs were spending the days leading to the inauguration partying around Washington, DC, Top Chef chieftain Tom Colicchio was busy saving lives....

An Inauguration benefit with a happy endingBoston Globe, United States Cookbook author Joan Nathan ("Foods of Israel Today," "Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook," and others) hosted a benefit at her house last night and...

Top Chef's Tom saves the day...and a lifeTV Squad, CA If you're a regular Top Chef watcher -- like me -- you know that when it comes to being a straight-shooter, down to earth, regular person, professional chef...

Top Chef's Tom Colicchio Saves LifeTV GuideTop Chef head honcho Tom Colicchio may be considered the "bad guy" when it comes time to axe one of the cheftestants during judge's table,...

August 14, 2008

Which Diet Plan?

OK, so the sight of all those toned bodies at the beach has now got you thinking about your own rather larger physique. Something must be done!

But what, that's the question? Saying that you'll simply eat less and excercise more: well, we've all done that and it doesn't always work out so well, does it? No, what we need is a plan, some help to get us to our desired weight.

OK, so we also know that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different diets and plans out there. What we want to know is which one is the best, right?

Now, one thing that can definitely help is low glycemic carbohydrates for losing weight quickly : but we need to know more than just that. We also need to know how these can integrate into the wider plan. How are we to pick and choose from all of the different options for such plans?

Well, at the same site there's actually bucket loads of information on exactly that subject. You can compare the Medifast Diet, for example, with the Nutrisystem. Or either or both of them with Weight Watchers. And more such systems, of course. It's also worth noting that there are money off coupons for all of those different systems there as well: lose weight and save money?

So, go take a look, get yourself on the right track to losing that weight.

Raunchy Jim Beam ad under fireFood Week, AustraliaA television and internet advertisement for Jim Beam with topless Swedish sunbathers being stalked by peeping toms has prompted an outcry over the liquor ...

January 07, 2008

Red Savina Pepper

A Chicago tavern said on Thursday it will begin selling chicken
wings coated in one of the world's hottest peppers -- a dish so hot
that patrons first have to sign a waiver agreeing not to sue for
injuries.

Jake Melnick's Corner Tap said the wings made with Red Savina pepper
will be served with an alarm bell for patrons to summon waiters with
sour cream, milk sugar and white bread if things get out of hand.

Levy Restaurants, which owns the tavern, said its chef d'Cuisine
Robin Rosenberg had been working on the concept for years but was never
sure he'd be able to serve it.

Anyone know how high Red Savina's score on the Scoville Scale? Ah, as ever, Wikipedia has the answer. 580,000 SHU, only one pepper hotter.

November 07, 2007

Red Bull Can Kill

ENERGY drinks like Red Bull can cause heart attacks and strokes by boosting
blood pressure, medics warned yesterday.
Doctors ordered those with heart disease or high blood pressure to avoid them
completely.
Just two cans a day of drinks with caffeine and taurine were shown to have an
impact.
They caused blood pressure to rise significantly, even in healthy people.
Most energy drinks contain caffeine and taurine – an amino acid found
in protein-rich foods like meat and fish thought to make people alert.
Both affect heart rate but little is known about their impact on blood
pressure.

The same would be true of anything containing that much caffeine cofee, tea or coke.

Your bonus trivia point for the day is that Taurene is the one amino acid that cats cannot create in their bodies: they must get it from their food. This is why they must have meat products in their diet: or if they're on a vegetarian one, it must be supplemented with taurine.

November 06, 2007

Giada De Laurentiis.

Giada De Laurentiis has announced that she is pregnant with her first child by her husband, Todd Thompson.

TV Chef Giada De
Laurentiis and clothing designer Todd Thompson are expecting their
first child together. Giada announced her pregnancy this morning on the
Today show.

Giada
and Thompson have been married since 2003, and she said everyone has
been asking her when they would start a family. Giada said she is 18
weeks along with a baby girl. She added she is due the first week of
April.

“Evert
single person, every book signing I do, every public appearance, my
friends, everybody telling me the same thing: ‘You know you’re getting
older! You can’t have children forever!’” she said. “When I found out I
was pregnant, I was in complete shock. Just shock. I truly didn’t
believe it. I honestly thought, ‘there has got to be a mistake.’”

We here at the TWTE also note the photos of Giada in Esquire recently: